C154 Martial Arts Was a Killing Technique(1)

The Ma family humbly presented the "Pill King Note" and apologized to Liang Ruoxuan, leaving her feeling somewhat surreal. The regret on Ma Feiyi and his companions' faces was genuine, but everyone understood that their regret stemmed from not having crushed the declining Liang family outright from the start, instead of concocting marriage alliances and competitions to legitimize their Pill King Pavilion, only to end up empty-handed.

It was clear that the key figures who led to the Ma family's downfall were Loong Zhiwu and Woo Zhengyang. Despite having masters at the Shape Gathering Stage and even grandmasters at the Reality Condensing Stage, the Ma family dared not offend Loong Zhiwu, as she represented the formidable Heavenly Martial Sect. As for Woo Zhengyang, they were less concerned. Even though he claimed to be a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, it was unlikely that the sect, despite having grandmasters, would cross borders for a single disciple. Doing so would be a blatant disregard for the sects of Cloud Fluttering Country.

After the apology, Ma Tenglong respectfully addressed Loong Zhiwu, "Honored Director, the results of the Pill King Competition are settled, but my grudge with Woo Zhengyang remains. I wish to challenge him to a duel in the arena!"

Ma Tenglong's voice was loud enough for everyone in Heavenly Martial Square to hear, sparking a flurry of discussions among the crowd.

This was the second time Ma Tenglong had challenged Woo Zhengyang. The first time, Woo Zhengyang had avoided the fight, a fact well-known to everyone. Now, with Ma Tenglong issuing another challenge, it was clear he was doing it on purpose.

In front of everyone, if Woo Zhengyang refused to fight again, the label of coward would soon follow him back home. But if he accepted for the sake of pride, it would be just what Ma Tenglong wanted—a chance to thoroughly humiliate Woo Zhengyang. Even if he avoided being called a coward, losing would still tarnish his reputation.

As the top student of the Heavenly Martial Academy's outer division, no one doubted Ma Tenglong's abilities. After all, Woo Zhengyang was just an obscure disciple from a sect. In the eyes of the crowd, no matter what Woo Zhengyang chose, he was likely to fall into Ma Tenglong's trap unless Loong Zhiwu intervened.

However, Loong Zhiwu showed no intention of stepping in. Instead, he said, "For martial cultivators, sparring is natural. But Woo Zhengyang is an alchemist, so his martial skills might not be as sharp. Plus, he's known to be a body tempering cultivator, so keep it light. Woo Zhengyang, do you agree?"

Woo Zhengyang was stunned. It was clear that Loong Zhiwu, unable to poach him, was seizing the chance for some payback, only asking for his consent after the fact.

"I disagree!" Woo Zhengyang snapped.

As soon as he said it, Ma Tenglong smirked, and everyone else shook their heads in disbelief. It was rare to see someone refuse with such arrogance.

Loong Zhiwu was also a bit surprised, showing a hint of disappointment as she shook her head. "If that's your decision, so be it. But let me warn you, the Ma family better not cause any trouble for the Liang family or Woo Zhengyang, or you'll have to deal with me, Loong Zhiwu!"

With that, Loong Zhiwu turned to leave, but Woo Zhengyang continued, "Martial arts are meant for life-and-death battles, not just for show. If I fight, it's to the end, no holding back!"

His sudden burst of bravado left the crowd buzzing, and even Loong Zhiwu turned back to him, puzzled.

She had no idea that Woo Zhengyang had long wanted to take down Ma Tenglong. Thanks to Loong Zhiwu's intervention, the Pill King Competition had gone smoothly, and Woo Zhengyang was willing to let Ma Tenglong off the hook. But now, with Ma Tenglong practically asking for it and Loong Zhiwu teasing him, Woo Zhengyang wasn't going to hold back.

"Haha... A coward challenging my brother to a life-and-death duel? That's hilarious," Ma Tengyue laughed, his voice wheezing.

Woo Zhengyang glanced at him and said, "If you're going to talk, maybe hold off on the laughter. Wouldn't want you to wheeze even more!"

"You jerk... I'm going to get even... I'll challenge him first..." Ma Tengyue impulsively wanted to challenge, but Ma Feiyi slapped him aside.

Woo Zhengyang, who usually avoided fights, suddenly demanded a duel to the death today, which was unusual. They weren't as reckless as Ma Tengyue.

"Fine! Then we'll have a duel to the death!" Although he was suspicious, Ma Tenglong agreed. Otherwise, both he and the Ma family would lose face today.

"You're wrong. I'm not having a duel to the death with you!" Woo Zhengyang said, glancing at the knocked-down Ma Tengyue.

Ma Tenglong's expression changed. "My brother is just an eight-star martial disciple. You want to challenge him?"

The Ma family had thoroughly investigated Woo Zhengyang's activities in the Cloud Fluttering Mountains. There was no way they would let Ma Tengyue walk into a death trap.

"You're wrong again! I want to challenge both of you to a duel to the death!"